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A comic hen wants only to make jokes but is misunderstood by the farmer and so she strikes out on her own. Before long she meets other humor-loving but underappreciated animals: a dog, a cat, and a cow. Like the familiar Bremen Town musicians, this quartet foils a group of robbers and opens their own comedy club. Bad puns and silly jokes are sure to cause groans and laughter in this silly parody.

Lush, realistic illustrations combine with a simple text to suggest what it must have been like when the pioneering Jackie Robinson played ball for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Additional factual information is included in what is made to look like baseball cards on each page. The result is a handsome book that can be appreciated by different ages.

Katie Casey follows her passion for baseball and winds up playing for one of the professional girls’ teams — and wins. The little known opening of a well-known tune, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” inspired this fictionalized look at the professional all-girls baseball league that thrived during World War II.

Ted Williams never flinched at hard work or a challenge. In his last season with the Boston Red Sox, Williams had to decide if he wanted to take the chance and lose his rare .400 average or go to bat. Williams’ decision creates a riveting read in this handsome and thoughtful look at one man’s ethics and the times in which he lived.

The basic rules and equipment of baseball are introduced in simple words and straightforward illustrations. Those interested in the nitty-gritty of the game will appreciate this practical presentation.

A baseball encourages a boy to play the game, to enjoy the sounds, excitement, and camaraderie of the game. The short, rhyming text is accompanied by humorous illustrations for a playful look at baseball for younger children.

There were always discoveries to be made in their grandmother’s attic; and Gee always had a story to go along with it. On this visit, the cousins find an autographed baseball that leads to a story about the Negro Baseball League and its stars, Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige. Exciting, predictable, and well-paced, this is sure to appeal to children.

She seemed born to pitch when growing up in a small Ohio town and pitch she did at a time when women only wore skirts or dresses. Stylized illustrations combine with the fictionalized voice of Alta Weiss to present a memorable glimpse of early baseball, one young woman’s passion for the game, and a quick look at women in the sport.

Comic illustrations effectively combine with a straightforward text to bring baseball terms to life. From A (“Ace. The best pitcher on the team…”) to Z (“Strike Zone. To be in the strike zone, a pitch must be…”) the alphabet is a device used to introduce all things baseball, likely to be appreciated by even young aficionados.

The baseball card of “…the bandy-legged son of German immigrants” sold for almost three million dollars in 2007. Honus Wagner was an all-around player who could hit, run, and play shortstop equally well. Highlights of his life and some of the myths that swirled up around him are presented in evocative, energetic text and handsome paintings.

This collection profiles 14 Latino baseball pioneers (Roberto Clemente, Bobby Avila, etc.) who played during the first half of the 20th century, often in the Negro Leagues or winter leagues of Latin America. Readers will learn about the group’s accomplishments, including the barriers they had to overcome and how they paved the way for today’s Latino baseball stars.